Flight Trackers

Overview

Travel much? Then you are no doubt familiar with the many flight tracker Apps available on iOS devices. However, despite their relatively simple function, there's a bunch of questions that need to be asked in order to find the right one for you. Are you looking for simple flight trackers or comprehensive trip managers? Care more about a pretty map or a wealth of information? Tracking flights for a trip or for another reason? We'll talk about these and more in this AppGuide.

Essential Apps

by Ben Kazez

FlightTrack Pro is one of the best universal flight tracking programs on the App Store. Featuring the ability to track multiple flights at the same time on its gorgeous map, Tripit Sync, push alerts and a good search engine (along with the ability to track random flights if you’re bored), FlightTrack Pro has all the tools needed to quickly find flights. FlightTrack Pro also provides the user with a wealth of information on each flight you add to the main map. Info ranges from the standard arrival/depart actual times, arrival weather, and predicted landing times, to more complicated pieces such as a chart depicting the mathematical odds of whether a flight will actually land on time (or late, for that matter). Newer features, like iPhone 4 Retina Display support, make the App even better. Simply put, FlightTrack Pro is a powerful, gorgeous flight tracker that’s highly recommended.

Notable Apps

by Mobiata

TripDeck is a great iPhone itinerary App that includes TripIt integration and allows users to manage hotel reservations, flights, hotel reservations, and much more. Featuring a simple, yet elegant UI for organizing separate trips, TripDeck can truly organize nearly every facet of a travel trip. Some essentials, such as push notification and live flight stats are behind a paid DLC wall, but overall, TripDeck is recommended as a great iOS trip manager.

by UnitConvertr

Flight Status lacks some of the polish and features of FlightTrack Pro, but unique features and UI still make a great alternative for users needing a flight tracker. Flight Status allows users to organize flights by trips, and, aside from the standard flight information, the ability to easily locate amenities (such as hotels, car rental locations, restaurants, e.t.c.) near arrival airports. Flight Status even provides baggage claim information, as well as the ability to search for flights by airport. Built-in TripIt functionality means that Flight Status Pro will automatically populate trips already inputted into your TripIt account. Overall, Flight Status is a worthy recommendation for those looking for

by Silverware Software

TravelTracker Pro is another universal App that goes beyond flight tracking and also includes the ability to manage many aspects of your trip. Like the other full-featured Apps in this Guide, TravelTracker features TripIt integration. Some features that differentiate TravelTracker are a currency exchange function, a receipt photo organizer, and an expense tracker. While looking great on the iPhone, TravelTracker Pro falters a little bit in its iPad presentation. However, its feature set sets TravelTracker Pro apart as one of the better flight trackers available.

by Pageonce, Inc

TripTracker, unlike most of the other flight trackers in this guide, focuses more on an all-encompassing focus on traveling, rather than just the flight. That means that TripTracker allows you to input, save and receive information related to hotel check-ins, car rentals, weather reports, as well as the standard flight information (gate number, delays, baggage claim, e.t.c.). TripTracker especially works well with Pageonce Personal Assistant, with information inputted in there automatically populating TripTracker (even if you don’t use Personal Assistant, you can add in your Frequent Flier or hotel account and TripTracker will use your account to add upcoming flights and hotel stays). Assuming you already use Personal Assistant, TripTracker is a good app to expand the functionality of the overall Pageonce experience. Even if you don’t use it, however, TripTracker is still a decent flight tracker.

by WorldMate, Inc.

WorldMate Gold is another all-encompassing travel App for the iPhone. Featuring a good interface, the ability to search and book hotels, limos, and more, WorldMate does a good job of serving as a travel compendium. Additional features such as a currency converter, global weather forecasts, and a good flight tracker put WorldMate Gold in a good competition with TravelTracker.

Decent Apps

by Aviation Data Systems, Inc

The first thing you’ll notice about Flightwise Flight Tracker Pro, is that it’s not geared towards the travelling public. You won’t find gate information or departure delays or anything like that. However, what you will find is a great App designed for folks in the aviation industry. Users can enter an aircraft tail number of FAA flight ID and instantly get a tracking map of the aircraft and its current position. Users can also track any airline if you know its 3 letter ICAO airline ID. Add in a good map for tracking flights, along with a quick UI, and Flightwise Flight Tracker Pro becomes a good App tailored for Airports, flight enthusiasts, and folks that just want to track General Aviation aircraft in addition to commercial jets.

by USA TODAY

USA Today Autopilot is a standard flight tracker that also uses TripIt to prepopulate upcoming flights registered to your TripIt account (you can also input everything in manually, of course). In addition to the standard flight information, along with lodging and rental car information, Autopilot also provides free access to USA Today travel articles and blogs, a useful diversion while waiting to board. Overall, Autopilot is a good App that gets the job done with minimal surprises.

by FlightAware

Live Flight Tracker is an ad-supported standard flight tracker that requires a rather lengthy (for your iPhone) registration process in order to use most of the features. Assuming you get through the process (a too short password puts you in a registration loop until you force quit and try registering again), users can receive flight information with a simple search function that is not as robust as FlightTrack Pro or Flight Status. Unfortunately, the overall unpolished UI and experience push Live Flight Tracker to a lower tier than most of the other Apps in this guide.